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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25623835">Happy Tears</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/eridol/pseuds/eridol'>eridol</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Mystic Messenger (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>AU, M/M, Requited Love, and pointless, bc fuck them being kidnapped that was so shitty, but that's a separate rant now back to juminv, hanahaki but like... not, he doesnt go by v anymore tho, post-saeran's route but seven and vandy are alive and happy, self-sacrificial v, theyre gay and stupid thats it, unrequited but actually requited love</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 09:21:57</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,149</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25623835</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/eridol/pseuds/eridol</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>In a world where, when you fall into unrequited love, you develop a condition known as Hoseki disease instead of Hanahaki, Jihyun Kim has fallen in love with his best friend. </p><p>Instead of doing the rational thing and going to a doctor or getting the surgery to counter the disease's progression, what does Jihyun do? He waits, and he tries to ignore the facts; both the fact that Jumin will never love him back and the fact that all of the tears he cries will inevitably turn into diamonds. </p><p>Waiting doesn't get him anywhere, though- it never has. </p><p>Thankfully, Jumin takes initiative, and instead of waiting, the corporate heir decides to make a move.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Han Jumin &amp; V | Kim Jihyun, Han Jumin/V | Kim Jihyun</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>52</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Happy Tears</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was raining outside. </p><p>An oddly peaceful, quiet sense of dread filled Jihyun as he stood in his darkroom, waiting for a photo he had taken earlier that day to process. His turquoise eyes contrasted against the crimson-hued lighting when they flickered up to admire the photo that was lying before them on the black table, the same table that he was currently resting his hands on.</p><p>The photo was taking an especially long time to develop, so he stood in wait and stared down at the tabletop rather aimlessly. His hands were gripping the edges, his knuckles worn and white and fingers bony and thin. He thought he might've lost more weight- something that had become a regular occurrence since things had settled down again. Taking care of himself had always been a struggle without someone around to hold him accountable for it. He tried to ignore that, though. If he was lucky, no one would be able to see how he had allowed the stress to destroy him from the inside out. Perhaps, he could avoid everyone he knew for the rest of his life... Or maybe he was just being dramatic.</p><p>A few minutes passed. His hands grew shaky. The photo finally seemed to have processed, so he gently picked it up and walked out of the darkroom. He assumed that the feeling of dread would have subsided when he stepped under the warm lighting of the hallway and looked at what might've been the most beautiful picture he'd ever taken, but all it did was grow increasingly worse with each second that passed. </p><p>His heart was beating much faster than it should've been. Against his chest. In his throat. It hurt to swallow and the knots in his stomach were torturous. </p><p>It was odd that a mere picture had engendered such a heavy, sick, twisted, <em>intense </em>feeling inside of him- especially since it was only a photograph of his best friend, Jumin Han. It was a lovely shot of the ravenette leaning back against a chair at the vineyard they'd gone to that day, silky ink-hued locks blown back by the wind as he gingerly sipped at his wine. He'd even worn the perfect outfit for the occasiom; a black suit with a fitted jacket and a garnet-colored tie that matched the wine he'd been sampling during the photo surprisingly well. Jihyun thought he might've even seen a smile behind the lip of the clear glass, and the way that Jumin's obsidion eyes had locked with the lens of the camera just in time for what had been intended to be candid... Simply <em>perfect</em>, which was why Jihyun hated that looking at the photo was making him feel so anxious.</p><p>His photos made him feel things, but those things were typically good. This felt... Oddly reminiscent to a foreboding that something bad was about to happen- no, that something good was about to <em>end</em>.</p><p>Still holding the picture in one hand, Jihyun fully closed the door to his darkroom and leaned back against the ivory-painted wood. </p><p>Maybe the feeling was a simple fluke. He'd learned early on that getting too comfortable in life was never a good sign. When things seemed peaceful, one thing or another arrived to ruin that peace, so he kept his guard up. Every time he went more than a month or two without something coming along to fuck up his life, he had the tendency to get nervous like this. </p><p>It had never been <em>this </em>bad, though. </p><p>Jihyun found himself slowly sinking to the floor and pulling his knees to his chest, still looking at that <em>damn </em>photo even though he was sure that it was what was causing him to feel so strongly.</p><p>Then again, Jumin had <em>always </em>made him feel strongly. Just... Not like <em>this</em>.</p><p>He wanted to rip the photograph in half, but he found himself unable to do it- after all, it had the face of the man he'd been in love with for the past two decades as its focal point. </p><p>He closed his eyes briefly, only for a single tear to escape and trail down his cheek. In an almost picturesque manner, the droplet fell from his face and onto the photograph, landing right on the breast pocket of Jumin's suit jacket. The man rushed to wipe it off, but before he could reach down and touch the tear, it changed; solidified, hardened, and before he knew it, the tear was falling off of the polaroid and landing onto the wooden floor with a light <em>clink</em>. He paused- the tear was no longer a tear, but what exactly was it? How had it changed, let alone so suddenly?</p><p>Baffled, he reached for the solid droplet and held it between two fingers. It was still the size and shape of a tear, but it was gleaming and radiant now, hard against his skin with numerous edges. It was such a pure clear that he could see his reflection in numerous spots on it, and upon examining it further, he realized that it was a diamond.</p><p>He had cried a tear that turned into a diamond. What on earth? Surely that wasn't healthy, how could-?</p><p>Oh.</p><p>
  <em>Oh no.</em>
</p><p>Upon realizing what could've caused it, Jihyun found himself scrambling to his bedroom, the photo still in his hand and the diamond falling to the floor. When he got to his room, he didn't turn the light on, only rushing to sit at the desk in the corner and open his laptop, where he went to the search engine and began to type. The room was mostly dark with the dim light from his computer shining on his face and making his eyes burn. More tears fell from the mint-hued orbs and into his lap. They turned into diamonds that rested on his clothed thighs almost immediately.</p><p>Shaky fingers flying across his keyboard, wide blue eyes running over the length of his computer screen, Jihyun let out a shaky breath and began to scroll through the search results he'd gotten so he could read them. </p><p>Similar to the fictional Hanahaki disease, Hoseki disease was a condition where you were bound to cry tears that turned into gems and crystals when you fell into unrequited love. It was unpredictable and rather rare, as it only hit people who had been in love with the same person for a long time. Most got the surgery that was necessary to fix it, as the disease could make you go blind and even kill you if you had it for long enough, but Jihyun knew that wasn't an option for him if he was remembering the surgery's side-effects correctly. Still... Suffering wasn't necessarily ideal either. He'd heard the horrors of the disease taking over; the loss of vision that gradually grew into the crystallization of your eyes and brain, and eventually, death.</p><p>The other side-effects were minor in comparison. His eyes would be more sensitive, and he'd be more susceptible to crying, too. Thinking of or being around the love interest- or, <em>Jumin</em>- would make his physical symptoms even worse. The only way of solving it aside from the surgery was to get Jumin to love him back, which he knew was impossible. Jumin was capable of love, sure, but <em>romantic </em>love? Jihyun wasn't sure about that. Even if Jumin <em>wanted </em>to fall in love, and even if Jumin <em>was </em>attracted to men, the photographer felt like Jumin was too good for him. There was no way Jumin would ever love him back that way. It wasn't an option, and if he were to confess his feelings and get rejected, it would act as a catalyst to the Hoseki- even worse, he would risk Jumin finding out the truth and feeling guilty for not being able to love him. </p><p>Articles upon articles of reading later revealed exactly what he'd feared. If he got the surgery, his vision would be back to normal and he wouldn't risk the disease going to his brain and killing him, but he would lose his memories of Jumin and the ability to fall back in love with the man. If he <em>didn't </em>get the surgery and allowed it to fester for long enough, the disease would spread, he would cry diamonds more frequently, his eyes would harden, he'd become blind, and it could spread to his brain and kill him. There was nothing else to fix it aside from the surgery, and though he had looked at some supposed solutions, he figured that with how crazy they sounded, they were as applicable to his issue as cigarettes were to lung cancer. Unless it was the surgery that was proven to work, if he tried to do anything to fix the problem himself, it would worsen it. </p><p>So, essentially, there was nothing he could do but wait around for blindness and death, which wasn't exactly ideal. </p><p>Jihyun groaned and buried his face in his hands. The blue lighting from his computer screen felt like it was mocking him now, so he simply turned it off and anxiously paced around his bedroom until he found himself standing in front of the body-length mirror that rested against one of the walls. It was hard to see himself in the dark room, the only lighting coming from the moonlight that poured in through his sheer curtains. </p><p>He looked rough- he was certain of that much. He weighed a little less than he should've, his hair was overgrown, and the only reason he'd even bothered with a shower that day was because he had been going to spend time with Jumin. He knew that most of the issues were caused by the fact that without Rika and RFA to worry about constantly, he had too much time to think, and when he had too much time to think, his feelings for Jumin consumed him. He didn't like thinking about his feelings for Jumin- it was a hard topic to dwell on, and at every other point in his life, he'd had a distraction- something more pressing to attend to, but now he didn't have anything else to focus on and it was driving him insane.</p><p>When Jihyun had first realized that the feelings he had towards Jumin weren't platonic, he'd been a young teenager, too busy with school and living up to his father's expectations to think about romance or dating. He'd known, even back then, that no one would approve of him being in love with a boy anyways. </p><p>When he was finishing high school, he had lost his mom, so romance was his last priority. Then, there was the gap between that tragedy and him meeting Rika. He'd assumed that he'd lose feelings for Jumin eventually and, when he met Rika, he decided to distract himself with her- he'd even thought that he was in love with her at one point, only to realize that their relationship had been nothing but a mutual obsession. Of course, he'd been in love with Jumin through the entire relationship; through Rika faking her death, the cult, getting everything resolved and healing after years of trauma. </p><p>It seemed like the years of avoiding the inevitable truth were catching up to Jihyun and manifesting themselves in this disease he had developed.</p><p>With a sigh, he walked across the room, leaned against the pane of his bay window, and looked outside through the hard glass in front of him. The stars that were normally shimmering bright against an otherwise dark sky were obscured by the clouds from which the rain had started to pour from a few minutes before. A vague memory of his mother telling him a story began to resurface. The story had been something he had found ridiculous when he was younger- something about rain being the result of a cloud crying from happiness; <em>happy tears. </em>Nowadays, when he thought of it, he couldn't help but smile a bit, and oddly enough, tears started streaming down both of his cheeks and leaving wet streaks on his pale skin in their wake. </p><p>The photographer's body sunk back into the feeling of dread that had been taking it over for the past hour or so, his eyes heavy and tired, burning and sore. Another sigh left him and he rested a pale hand on the window as droplets continued to hit and travel down the expanse of the glass. That old story came back into his mind again and he briefly wondered if he could convince himself that these were happy tears, too. </p><p><em>Happy tears. </em>Yeah, that sounded much nicer. </p><p>The droplets that had fallen to the floor hardened and turned into diamonds just as the tears prior to them had, but paid that no mind and trudged over to his bed. He fell onto the mattress and closed his eyes without even bothering to undress before cuddling into the mass of fluffy blankets. The only form of solace he had was the rain, which was still pouring outside, heavy and comforting and calm. </p><p>When he closed his eyes for too long, Jumin appeared in his mind, so he tried not to in fear that it would make his condition even worse. Sleep started proving itself as yet another equivocal concept in his already labyrinthine-like life. </p><p>He didn't remember when he finally passed out, as every time he had focused on it, he got caught up in his thoughts again, but eventually, his exhaustion took over. </p><p>The next morning, he woke up in a daze. His vision was blurry no matter how many times he wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his sweater, and he felt tired and weak. </p><p>When he pulled his phone off of the charger, he saw that he had a missed call from Jumin. Messages, too. Having done enough reading about the disease, he had learned that exposing himself to the ravenette and thinking about his own feelings would only make it progress faster. Until he figured out what he was going to do or until he found a solution, he knew that he had to hold off the disease's progression for as long as he could.</p><p>So, for the first time in a long time, he decided to ignore both the texts and the calls. He told himself that it would be for just a day, but one day turned into two, and<em> well</em>- that turned into even more.</p><p>Ultimately, a week passed, and he hadn't contacted any of the RFA at all despite their numerous attempts at reaching out to him. Jihyun was descending into panic, unable to come up with something to fix his problem. He didn't want to get rid of his memories of Jumin, but he didn't want to go fully blind or die either. The latter he could deal with by itself, sure, but the real kicker was how pissed his friends and family would be at him for willingly losing his vision and life over unrequited love of all things. He'd gone through specialists, surgeries, and medications for years just to heal his eyes from the damage <em>Rika </em>had done, but now he was going and ruining them again. </p><p>The RFA was another issue. If he had gone no-contact for a day or maybe even two, he could've passed it off as needing a small break or getting caught up with something, but an entire week? They weren't stupid. They were going to be suspicious and Jihyun knew that... But more importantly, he was afraid of reaching back out because he knew Jumin was <em>not </em>going to be a happy camper... No, Jumin was going to be <em>pissed </em>about Jihyun's sudden choice to ghost them all, but even worse, Jumin was at risk of finding out about the disease that Jihyun had, which he would be even <em>more </em>furious about.</p><p>Speaking of Jumin...</p><p>Jihyun was sure that the ravenette was probably going insane by now. He just hadn't been able to bring himself to respond to any of Jumin's messages at all, and now the entire RFA was worried, but he was afraid of all the questions he would get if he replied, so he did what he <em>always </em>did when he landed himself in deep shit; he <em>hid</em>, and he ignored them for as long as he could possibly get away with. He was actually surprised that Jumin hadn't stopped by his house yet, but then again, the man <em>was </em>busy most days... It was night now, so Jihyun assumed he wouldn't be getting any visitors soon. A sigh of satisfaction fell from in between his lips at the thought that he could get away with it for a little longer as he slowly padded into the living room and sat down in front of his piano.</p><p>It was dark outside. Rain pitter-pattered against the windowsill in perfect rhthym with the ocean waves crashing against the cliff that his sheltered home sat upon. It was rare that he bothered playing piano- so rare that the stool in front of it had started to collect dust, but he had been in a mood over the past few nights and with his eyesight going bad again, he figured the piano was the best outlet for now. He had to see his photographs to be able to enjoy them, but music was different, and it wasn't a reminder of his current dilemma. </p><p>Well. That is until the song he started to play immediately reminded him of Jumin, which, by association, <em>reminded him of his current dilemma</em> yet again. The thoughts began to take over his mind for what must've been the millionth time that night, making his heart sink to the bottom of his stomach, but he tried his best to block them out and concentrate on what he was doing. </p><p>Jihyun's fingers glided across the keys, coaxing a gentle melody from the piano that he'd already heard and played on countless occasions. His mint-hued hair was hanging in front of his eyes, and he swore his vision was much worse, but despite the two obstructions, he managed to play the piece effortlessly- it was one of Jumin's favorites, after all. He knew it by heart.</p><p>Midnight eventually fell, but he continued to play, content with the idea of listening to the soft whispers of a song he had been playing for years and waiting for the somber night and pitch-black sky to eventually be swept back over by the golden glow of dawn- at least until he was interrupted.</p><p>"Jihyun."</p><p>Startled, whatever calm and focus he had managed to hold just seconds before quickly left his body when he heard Jumin's voice. He was forced to consciously keep his hands from shaking as he pulled them away from the keys and looked in the direction the voice had come from to see the shorter man, who was leaning against the doorway of his living room.</p><p>"Jumin. What are you doing here?" The photographer asked as he abruptly stood from the stool in front of the piano and walked towards where Jumin was standing. </p><p>"You left one of your cameras in my car last week," Ah. That made sense. Jihyun suddenly remembered the week before- before he'd even known that he had Hoseki disease. The day he'd found out had been the same day Jumin had invited him to go to that nearby vineyard. They'd sampled wine, had lunch, Jihyun had taken some photos, and then Driver Kim had dropped him back off. After that, he'd developed the pictures in the darkroom, followed by... The first teardrop. The first diamond. There had been plenty more tears since then- so many that he couldn't keep track of all of them. He suddenly realized that having Jumin in his house was risky since the diamond droplets were practically everywhere. "I thought I'd bring it back."</p><p>The ravenette walked right past him and over to the grand piano, where he hung the hand-held camera by its strap off of the instrument's lid. Jihyun turned with raised eyebrows to see Jumin gingerly lean back against the piano.</p><p>"In person? That's out of character for you... You usually just mail things or have someone bring them here when I forget them... And you're not in a suit," Jihyun pointed out, shocked to see that Jumin was actually in his pajamas <em>and </em>at his house past midnight. </p><p>Jihyun figured it made a bit of sense. He'd been avoiding Jumin and the RFA for a week now, holing himself up in his home, trying to cope with the Hoseki disease however he could, only for <em>this </em>to happen. Jumin was a very particular man, though; a strict schedule, strict way of dress... He never showed up to <em>anyone's </em>house at this time, let alone in <em>pajamas and houseshoes</em> of all things, which made Jihyun assume that it must've been spur of the moment, either because Jumin knew he could catch the photographer off guard at that time or because Jumin had his own reasons that had nothing to do with Jihyun's recent ghosting. </p><p>Seriously, though... What the hell was going on?</p><p>"I supposed it wouldn't hurt to see you again," Jumin murmured, taking a couple of steps towards the photographer and resting a hand on his shoulder. Jihyun blinked, taken aback as Jumin looked into his eyes. "Have your eyes... Always been like that?"</p><p>"I'm sorry?" He asked and tilted his head. </p><p>"They're lighter," <em>Of course</em>, Jumin had noticed. Due to the disease, his vision had blurred, and his eyes were gradually changing in color to match that of the diamond tears, though they were still in the middle of that color-changing process, so they were only a foggy blue that was much lighter than his natural color- not done with their transformation, but different enough for Jumin to be able to tell the difference. Before he could try to make some sort of excuse, though, the ravenette quickly withdrew his hand and averted his gaze. "Never mind, it's probably just the lighting."</p><p>"Yes, you're probably right," Though Jumin was looking away now, Jihyun couldn't help but stare. He figured he should take in the sight of the younger man while he still could and burn it into his memory; the silky ebony locks, sharp charcoal eyes, the light brush of red that was spread across the expanse of his otherwise pale cheeks, his cherry blossom lips... Deciding not to get too caught up in that, Jihyun looked away as well and changed the subject. "Are you leaving then?"</p><p>"...I suppose I am, but before I do," In a rare slip of his usual stone-cold facade, Jumin's face softened. "Are you alright?"</p><p>"I'm fine," He lied and then gulped. "Why do you ask?"</p><p>"No reason. Good night, Jihyun."</p><p>"Good night."</p><p>Jumin turned to leave, and Jihyun could feel the Hoseki flaring up; tears burning in his eyes and threatening to fall, but as he tried to blink them away, he realized he was relieved. Jumin was leaving- he would be fine once Jumin was out the front door, he could cry all he wanted, and Jumin thought he was fine so surely the RFA would simply think that he was taking a break for himself and leave him alone.</p><p>He was never that lucky, though, and life was never that kind to him, so right when he thought he was in the clear, Jumin stopped in his tracks. Jihyun briefly wondered what was wrong until he realized where Jumin's eyes had landed- on the coffee table.</p><p>He immediately cringed. That coffee table had been where he'd sat the past few nights, elbows resting on the wooden surface and head in his hands as he cried his eyes out. No matter how much he'd cried, though, the tears seemed like they couldn't stop, so the table was covered in diamonds that he hadn't bothered to clean up since he hadn't been expecting any visitors. </p><p>The mint-haired man internally scolded himself for making sure that Jumin knew the spare key was under his welcome mat... If he hadn't, maybe Jumin would've texted asking to come over beforehand- not that Jihyun had been answering the younger man's texts anyway, but still, it might've given him a chance to clean up the gemstones in time for Jumin's arrival.</p><p>Oh well. He figured there was no dwelling on things he couldn't go back and change. He'd just have to come up with some sort of excuse to avoid the problem for now. </p><p>"Jihyun, what's the meaning of this?" The ravenette demanded. Even worse, he stuck his hand into the huge stack of diamond tears and grabbed a handful before dropping them back onto the table, then stared at the few that had fallen to the wooden floors- reminders of just how many of them there were. Jihyun knew he'd be forced to explain somehow, but he wasn't sure exactly what to say...</p><p>
  <em>Play dumb, play dumb-</em>
</p><p>"The meaning of what?" </p><p>
  <em>Not that dumb!</em>
</p><p>"These diamonds..." Jumin muttered and pulled his hand away from the pile on the table before crossing his arms and turning to Jihyun again. "There's so many of them."</p><p>He obviously couldn't tell Jumin the truth, and Jumin knew he wasn't the type to just have diamonds laying around, so he had to improvise. </p><p>"Oh, right. I thought I'd try my hand at making jewelry. A new hobby."</p><p>"A new hobby, huh...?" Jumin's tone was filled with disbelief, but Jihyun hoped that if he acted calm enough, the ravenette would drop the subject and leave like he had been about to before he'd noticed the diamonds, but again, he was never that lucky. Instead, the heir took a couple of cautious steps towards Jihyun with his arms still crossed and looked at him with a suspicious gaze. "That's unlike you."</p><p>"I just wanted to do something different. Nothing wrong with change, is there?"</p><p>"No," Jumin shook his head. "I suppose there isn't. I just..."</p><p>"Hm?"</p><p>Jihyun moved to take a step back, but before he could, Jumin reached forward and caught one of his arms in a strong hand. The photographer gulped, able to feel Jumin's warm fingers clasping around the otherwise cold skin of his wrist. The sleeve of his sweater fell down to his elbow and hung loosely as the room went silent. </p><p>"You've been avoiding me recently. Don't try to deny it. It's unlike you to not answer my texts and let my calls go straight to voicemail for days on end unless you have an emergency, which you clearly <em>don't </em>if you're just laying around here spending your days making jewelry of all things. Are you hiding something again?"</p><p>"You know I'm not, Jumin," He lied through his teeth, and he knew that Jumin saw right through him, but he continued regardless. "The RFA is perfectly safe-"</p><p>"<em>No</em>, this isn't about the RFA anymore. I know that the RFA is fine now. What I'm worried about is you and your health. When's the last time you've taken a good look at yourself?"</p><p>"Do I look <em>that </em>bad?" Jihyun mumbled and yanked his wrist away from Jumin's grasp, though he missed the touch as soon as he did. </p><p>"You've lost weight and I think your eyes are getting bad again. I don't know if it's simply a health problem or if it's something else that's stressing you out to the point that you're neglecting your own needs and causing <em>more </em>problems for yourself, but whatever it is, I want you to be honest with me about it."</p><p>"Jumin..." Jihyun was about to try to continue, to try to make Jumin drop the subject and leave however he could manage to do so, but the younger man raised his voice and took another step forward, jabbing a finger into the photographer's chest. </p><p>"No, you don't get to stand here, <em>'Jumin'</em> me, and tell me to just <em>trust </em>you. We've talked about this before- last time you pulled a stunt like this and I just <em>trusted </em>you, I found out that Rika was actually alive and had started a violent cult where she kidnapped Saeyoung's twin brother to drug and brainwash him into doing her dirty work, which was immediately followed by Saeyoung and Stark being kidnapped and us having to rescue them, and you remember the discussion we had after that."</p><p>Jihyun winced. The thought of Rika still hurt and he preferred to avoid memories of those years completely since they'd passed. Usually, Jumin felt the same and very rarely brought it up, but <em>apparently</em>, it was relevant now- or, maybe <em>apparently </em>wasn't the right word. He knew that was where Jumin's new difficulty in trusting him had stemmed from in the first place. </p><p>"I do."</p><p>"I told you..." Surprisingly enough, Jumin's hand was now gripping the front of Jihyun's sweater, the plush material slightly balled up between his soft fingers. "No matter what you do, no matter what happens, no matter how bad things may be, I'm never going to be angry with you as long as you tell me the truth. So, I need you to tell me the truth about this."</p><p>Jihyun paused, ready to take another step back, only for him to hit the heel of his foot on the wall behind him when he moved to do so. He was cornered and he couldn't get out. </p><p>"Jumin, I really can't this time, it'll just make things worse-" Before he could help it, he felt a tear fall from his left eye and down his cheek. It didn't fall until it hardened against his skin, turning into a diamond and then subsequently falling to the floor. Jumin's eyes followed the tear, he saw the entire few seconds, and Jihyun knew there was <em>definitely </em>no way to escape this now.</p><p>The dread that had been filling him for the past week was replaced by terror as he raised his hands to cover his face.<em> Jumin knew. </em>His stomach felt like it was filled with tar, heavy and sick, and he squeezed his eyes shut in fear of seeing how angry Jumin looked- hell, even <em>without </em>looking, he could feel Jumin's rage rolling off in waves. </p><p>"I should've known," Jumin hissed and slammed a hand against the wall, keeping it there on one side of Jihyun's head and effectively trapping him where he stood. "You avoiding me, the diamonds, your eyes... Who is it?"</p><p>Jihyun flinched. </p><p>"I can't tell you," His voice was barely a whisper even though he'd intended to sound calm and collected when he opened his mouth. </p><p>"Then you should get the surgery."</p><p>Jihyun wasn't one to exhibit anger very often, but he couldn't help feeling the hot and fiery emotion bubbling up inside of him as he glared at his best friend.</p><p>"What? I can't just do that!"</p><p>"My father's gotten it plenty of times," Jumin took his hand off of the wall and crossed his arms, the tone he spoke in casual, almost as if he was talking about the weather and not Jihyun literally having Hoseki disease. "It's very low risk and, to be honest, considerably better than you going fully blind and <em>dying</em>. I thought we were over this phase of you sacrificing yourself for love."</p><p>"I can't help it this time, okay? And don't compare me to Chairman Han... The situation's more complicated than you think."</p><p>"No, this <em>isn't </em>complicated, this is just you being foolish and selfish again while hiding it under the guise of doing it for love and being noble! Who is it that's making you think that things are so much more complicated than they actually are? Is it someone you've met in your travels? Business? Or maybe (y/n)?" Jihyun was shocked that Jumin would mention <em>your </em>name at all. A few years back, you had come into the RFA chatroom, added by Saeran, who was working for Mint Eye and hacking into anything that had to do with the RFA's parties. Of course, after a lot of strife, you had helped both Jihyun and Saeran with their issues, escaped Mint Eye, taken care of the Rika issue... But Jihyun only considered you a good friend. He had never been in love with you, especially since you were <em>Saeran's fiancee</em>. He had never even <em>considered</em> it and wondered where the hell Jumin got the idea from. "If that's the case, you've probably only known her a few years now and she's in love with Saeran- you <em>know </em>that. A few years of memories with someone you won't have feelings for after the surgery anyways don't matter as much as your <em>life</em>-"</p><p>"It's not her," He spat. "I didn't meet you in my recent travels, and I've known you for a good twenty-five years. A few years doesn't matter much, but a lifetime worth of memories means the world to me, Jumin, and it's my memories of <em>you </em>that I'd be getting rid of."</p><p>Once he realized what he'd said, he squeezed his eyes shut, immediately preparing for the worst; Jumin acting disgusted and rejecting him, Jumin yelling at him and storming out, him wallowing in his own self-pity because his feelings weren't returned, and then eventually succumbing to the disease.</p><p>It was silent, though. Jumin wasn't saying anything, and the anger he felt from the younger man earlier had seemed to disappear, so he cautiously opened his eyes, only to see Jumin looking at him with a soft gaze.</p><p>"Jihyun..."</p><p>"See, this is why I was avoiding you... I didn't want to tell you. I knew you'd feel guilty about it."</p><p>"Guilty? If you would've told me earlier, we could've already solved this."</p><p>"Are you saying I should still get the surgery even though I'll lose my memories of you?" Jihyun demanded, mint-hued eyes going wide. </p><p>"No, what I'm saying is that I love you back and that's why you should've just told me. I wouldn't have ever suggested the surgery in the first place had I known it was me, but situations like this..." Jumin wasn't one to showcase his affection very often, hence why Jihyun was surprised both by the ravenette's words <em>and </em>how the ravenette pulled him in close for a hug. When the words fully registered, Jihyun let out a sigh of relief, and then some sort of a cross between a chuckle of disbelief and a sob. Years of build-up had led to this, but as it turned out, Jumin evidently loved him back, and the disease was going to go away- he wasn't going to die, and maybe he could finally get his happy ending like everyone else in the RFA had. "You need to be more honest with me."</p><p>"I know," Jihyun sighed and wrapped his arms back around Jumin, gripping the back of the shorter man's pajama shirt- almost like he'd disappear if he dared to let go. The familiar smell of expensive cologne filled his nostrils. He took a deep breath and buried his face into his best friend's shoulder with a weak smile. He couldn't stop sniffling since he was trying to hold his tears back, and his voice cracked a bit when he spoke, but Jumin didn't seem to care. "On the bright side, if you really return my feelings, then my vision should go back to normal in a few days. It's not that big of a deal."</p><p>"Not that big of a deal?" Jumin laughed and held onto him a little tighter. "I'll never understand you."</p><p>"And that's okay."</p><p>"Where do we go from here? Have you thought this through?"</p><p>Unfortunately, Jumin pulled away sooner than he would've liked.</p><p>Jihyun leaned back against the wall and thought about the question in depth. <em>No</em>, he hadn't thought it through, and that was the simple answer. All he'd ever done was switch between fantasizing about a future that wouldn't happen, so he hadn't ever thought about the logistics; Chairman Han, who was probably expecting Jumin to marry a woman and produce an heir for C&amp;R, the RFA, who might not approve of their relationship, and the press, who would make articles upon articles about them if word ever got out. </p><p>"I never thought you'd feel the same way, so <em>no</em>, I haven't, but you don't owe me anything. I know that us being a thing would be complicated with your father and the company and all, so I'm not expecting for you to give that up-"</p><p>"But I would," Jumin interrupted him. Jihyun didn't want to believe that Jumin would <em>actually </em>give up everything for him, but the tone he'd used made it clear that he wasn't blowing smoke. "I would give that up for you if I had to- not that I think I'll ever have to. My father is understanding enough. I told him about this predicament a few years back and he was accepting."</p><p>Jihyun quirked an eyebrow at that. </p><p>"This predicament?" </p><p>"I realized I was in love with you after Rika faked her death, but the timing was so bad that I didn't bother telling you. It wouldn't have been right to take advantage of your vulnerability back then."</p><p>"Why didn't you tell me after we resolved all of that?"</p><p>"You needed time to heal, and I was stupid enough to believe that if you ever developed those same feelings, you'd tell me when you were ready..." A pang of guilt stabbed at the mint-haired man's heart as Jumin continued. "However, now I'm starting to realize that you were actually going to allow yourself to die instead of telling me the truth."</p><p>"Essentially yes."</p><p>"I can't believe you," The ravenette raised a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose between his thumb and pointer finger. "I mean, I <em>can</em>, it isn't exactly out of character for you to pull this kind of shit, but at the same time... It's astounding. I mean, did you think that through? If I hadn't come to check on you, and you would've died, someone from the RFA would have shown up, and... God, what if you had really <em>died</em>? What if they'd found your body? What if <em>I'd </em>found your body? Did you even <em>try </em>going to the doctor to see about any alternatives to the surgery?"</p><p>"No, I didn't, and-" He paused when, without any warning, Jumin took a step back to reach into his pocket and pull his cellphone, which he unlocked and started to type on. "Wait, what are you doing? You're not telling them about all of this, are you?"</p><p>"No, I'm texting Driver Kim to let him know that he can head home. It's late and I'm sure his family is waiting for him."</p><p>"H-Hold on, you're staying here?"</p><p>"Is there a problem with that?"</p><p>"Well, I suppose not, but I thought..." Jihyun trailed off, not sure of what to say. He knew that Jumin was rather conservative and had stated that he didn't believe in couples living together before marriage, but then again, that had only really been in reference to Zen's girlfriends, and Jihyun knew that Jumin wasn't necessarily Zen's biggest fan. </p><p>"I stopped believing in that," Jumin explained, apparently already aware of what the photographer had been trying to imply. "Plus, you've been ill and will be recovering over the next few days. It makes sense for someone to stay with you, so who better than myself?"</p><p>"You're right... And I guess there's probably no point in having you stay in the guestroom."</p><p>"It's not like Hoseki is contagious, so no, there isn't."</p><p>"Ah..."</p><p>There was an awkward pause where they were both terribly silent, only staring at each other. Jihyun felt vulnerable in that moment with Jumin's eyes raking him over and taking in every detail, so he found himself shifting his weight between his feet and looking away until the ravenette spoke again. </p><p>"You look exhausted."</p><p>"I'm sure I do," Jihyun laughed and walked past Jumin as he gestured for the younger man to follow him. The heir did exactly that, walking by his side and following the older man to the main bedroom. It was almost weird to think that they'd be sleeping in the same bed together- hell, they hadn't done that since the sleepovers they'd had when they were kids, so it would definitely be... <em>Different</em>.</p><p>Briefly, Jihyun caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. His eyes were returning back to their normal shade of blue, his previously pale skin didn't look as sickly, and his vision was better. A sigh of relief fell from in between his lips, but before he could get too caught up with his own reflection, Jumin spoke. </p><p>"Why were you up playing?" The ravenette questioned.</p><p>"You already know the answer to that, I think you just want to hear me say it."</p><p>Jihyun gave a soft smile as he crawled into the right side of the bed and got comfortable under the blankets. He usually slept in the middle, but if he was remembering correctly, Jumin preferred to sleep on the left side wherever he went- their old sleepovers, his own bedroom, hotels, resorts...</p><p>"I'm afraid I don't know the answer, actually," Jumin spoke again as he got into the bed as well, which caught Jihyun's attention.</p><p>"I was thinking of you. I know that piece is one of your favorites. Did you use the spare to get in?"</p><p>The photographer laid on his back and watched as Jumin turned onto his side to face him. </p><p>"Yes, and I put it back under the mat, so don't worry... Off subject, but I love you," Naturally, tears welled up in his eyes- happy tears, finally- and they fell despite his desperate attempts to fight them back, which had Jumin taking a closer look at him with a concerned expression. "Jihyun? Are you alright?"</p><p>"Don't worry," He grinned and wiped the rest of the tears from his eyes as he forced himself to stop crying before he made the ravenette seriously worried. "I'm just happy. I love you, too."</p><p>Surprisingly, Jumin smiled- not a smirk, but a genuine smile; rare, bright, joyful smile, so contagious that it had Jihyun smiling as well, filled with relief when the happy tears that fell simply stained the pillowcase beneath his head rather than turning into drops of diamond. </p><p>"I'm glad, then..." His face burned red as he reached underneath the covers for Jumin's hand and gently clasped it in his own, only for Jumin to look away and intertwine their fingers. "Good night, Jumin."</p><p>"Good night, Jihyun."</p><p>To make things even better, Jumin held his hand a little tighter, and with that, the exhaustion that came from the past week of stress took him over, causing him to fall into a peaceful slumber for the first time in years...</p><p> </p>
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